Sky channels on Freesat?

I have been wondering if any of the Sky channels that are on Freeview will ever cime to Freesat.

When I was in Currys on Friday buying my Humaxc Foxsat+ box the salesman said he didn't know how good Freesat is because he had never seen it. He said that Sky have told them (Currys) that if they put a Freesat dish up to show Freesat in store, they will take Sky away from them. If they have told Currys this then I would imagine thay have said the same to Comet etc.

It would seem that even though you can buy Freesat via Sky they must see Freesat as major competition. With Freeview they would not see that as competition because of the limited space limiting the amount of channels plus I belive Sky joined up with the BBC and bought the old ITV Digital licence when it went bust.

I was just wondering if anyone else had any thoughts on this or if they had read anything anywhere?

Yeah they are and they even point in the same direction too!! I guess it was just a term of speach he was using to say Sky have told them if they show Freesat in store they will take Sky away.

I have not used my Humax box yet as I am waiting for a dish to be installed on Wednesday, but everything I have read about Freesat is the SD pq with Freesat HD boxs is a lot better then the SD pq on Sky boxes, Sky HD boxes included. I guess if that is the case it would be pretty logical for Sky not wanting Freesat boxes playing in store next to Sky boxes.

He said that Sky have told them (Currys) that if they put a Freesat dish up to show Freesat in store, they will take Sky away from them. If they have told Currys this then I would imagine thay have said the same to Comet etc.

This must be unlawful! Does anyone want to complain to BERR (Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform)?

[quote=rjay60;30383504] He said that Sky have told them (Currys) that if they put a Freesat dish up to show Freesat in store, they will take Sky away from them. If they have told Currys this then I would imagine thay have said the same to Comet etc.
QUOTE]

Humm sounds like a load of poo to me, many Currys stores have both a $KY feed and a freesat feed. I think what the $KY guy would have told the Store is that if they run a feed from the $KY installed dish they would take away the HD demo (which would be shooting themselves in the foot)

The Independent trade has already seen $KY reduce the number of Agents and maybe they are thinking that they could do the same in the multis?

This must be unlawful! Does anyone want to complain to BERR (Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform)?

I would imagine if it is true and Sky have told stores this then it would be up to the stores to complain. We all know Sky do not like any competition, who remembers BSB? Now British Sky Broadcasting but originally British Satellite Broadcasting, a direct competitor to Sky who had a supposedly better system at that time.

I can honestly say I have not seen Freesat playing in any stores, yet I do see Sky and Freeview. All I was saying in my original post was if this is true then I gues there will not be any Sky channels coming over to Freesat.

We all know Sky do not like any competition, who remembers BSB? Now British Sky Broadcasting but originally British Satellite Broadcasting, a direct competitor to Sky who had a supposedly better system at that time.

I think history shows that BSB that didn't like the competition from Sky!!

In some stores they have a section of the store deicated to Freeview set top boxes, a section for sky and a section for Freesat. I have never seen in comet or Currys with a section for Freesat with a live feed!! But I have for Freeview!!

I think history shows that BSB that didn't like the competition from Sky!!

Sorry but I think your history teacher needs shooting

As Sky started satellite broadcasting in 1989 and BSB didnt launch their satellite service until 1990 then how was Sky the compitition? BSB where the new compettitores to Sky. It was Sky who wanted to merge with BSB, if you cant beat them join them!! It was Rupert Murdock who launched an anti BSB campaign via his news papers!! And didnt mention that people were returning their Sky boxes and switching to BSB. In fact if you read up on things you will learn that BSB were outselling Sky by 60%. The only problem BSB had was they had four manufacturers making their boxes, Philips, Nokia, Ferguson and Tatung who could not keep up with demand. Sky had Amstrad and there were plenty availible.

BSB had a suposidelly better system with their D-Mac chip which offered better uk coverage and allowed them to use a small 40cm square dish as apposed to Sky's 80cm dish. Also with the BSB dish being so small you did not need planning permission to put it up, you did with the big Sky dish, so people who could not get planning permisssion had no option but to use BSB.

In the end Sky went back on the merger agreement and fired the majority of the BSB staff and closed their head quarters, shut down the Marcopolo satellite meaning all BSB users needed new Sky equipment and they stoped using the D-Mac chip.

I think that in itself says it was Sky who did not like the compitition.

As Sky started satellite broadcasting in 1989 and BSB didnt launch their satellite service until 1990 then how was Sky the compitition? BSB where the new compettitores to Sky. It was Sky who wanted to merge with BSB, if you cant beat them join them!! It was Rupert Murdock who launched an anti BSB campaign via his news papers!! And didnt mention that people were returning their Sky boxes and switching to BSB. In fact if you read up on things you will learn that BSB were outselling Sky by 60%. The only problem BSB had was they had four manufacturers making their boxes, Philips, Nokia, Ferguson and Tatung who could not keep up with demand. Sky had Amstrad and there were plenty availible.

BSB had a suposidelly better system with their D-Mac chip which offered better uk coverage and allowed them to use a small 40cm square dish as apposed to Sky's 80cm dish. Also with the BSB dish being so small you did not need planning permission to put it up, you did with the big Sky dish, so people who could not get planning permisssion had no option but to use BSB.

In the end Sky went back on the merger agreement and fired the majority of the BSB staff and closed their head quarters, shut down the Marcopolo satellite meaning all BSB users needed new Sky equipment and they stoped using the D-Mac chip.

I think that in itself says it was Sky who did not like the compitition.

My understanding was that while BSB had better technology and may have had better sales, at the end of the day NEITHER company could survive alone so they HAD to merge. Financially both were in the ****!

Sky's technology was much cheaper (not just the receivers, but also the satellite capacity) and as such it made more sense to use it given the need to cut costs. The availability of that hardware was also more convenient given its use in more countries.

Neither party was anti-competitive or underhand in any way. It was just a simple business decision - merge or die. Look at some of the banks. They've made mistakes and rather than go bust, they're merging in a way that means some companies look like the loser with their name and staff vanishing (e.g. HBOS being taken over by Lloyds TSB).

As Sky started satellite broadcasting in 1989 and BSB didnt launch their satellite service until 1990 then how was Sky the compitition? BSB where the new compettitores to Sky. It was Sky who wanted to merge with BSB, if you cant beat them join them!! It was Rupert Murdock who launched an anti BSB campaign via his news papers!! And didnt mention that people were returning their Sky boxes and switching to BSB. In fact if you read up on things you will learn that BSB were outselling Sky by 60%. The only problem BSB had was they had four manufacturers making their boxes, Philips, Nokia, Ferguson and Tatung who could not keep up with demand. Sky had Amstrad and there were plenty availible.

BSB had a suposidelly better system with their D-Mac chip which offered better uk coverage and allowed them to use a small 40cm square dish as apposed to Sky's 80cm dish. Also with the BSB dish being so small you did not need planning permission to put it up, you did with the big Sky dish, so people who could not get planning permisssion had no option but to use BSB.

In the end Sky went back on the merger agreement and fired the majority of the BSB staff and closed their head quarters, shut down the Marcopolo satellite meaning all BSB users needed new Sky equipment and they stoped using the D-Mac chip.

I think that in itself says it was Sky who did not like the compitition.

BSB took too long to get going as equipment and technology weren't ready. It could have been around at the same time as Sky was on Astra but the IBA insisted on the DMac technology. You didn't need planning permission for a Sky dish then - the normal size needed was 60cm which didn't need permission.

As Sky started satellite broadcasting in 1989 and BSB didnt launch their satellite service until 1990 then how was Sky the compitition? BSB where the new compettitores to Sky. It was Sky who wanted to merge with BSB, if you cant beat them join them!! It was Rupert Murdock who launched an anti BSB campaign via his news papers!! And didnt mention that people were returning their Sky boxes and switching to BSB. In fact if you read up on things you will learn that BSB were outselling Sky by 60%. The only problem BSB had was they had four manufacturers making their boxes, Philips, Nokia, Ferguson and Tatung who could not keep up with demand. Sky had Amstrad and there were plenty availible.

BSB had a suposidelly better system with their D-Mac chip which offered better uk coverage and allowed them to use a small 40cm square dish as apposed to Sky's 80cm dish. Also with the BSB dish being so small you did not need planning permission to put it up, you did with the big Sky dish, so people who could not get planning permisssion had no option but to use BSB.

In the end Sky went back on the merger agreement and fired the majority of the BSB staff and closed their head quarters, shut down the Marcopolo satellite meaning all BSB users needed new Sky equipment and they stoped using the D-Mac chip.

I think that in itself says it was Sky who did not like the compitition.

It looks to me like you did a Google and found this one sided article by an ex BSB employee.

BSB took too long to get going as equipment and technology weren't ready. It could have been around at the same time as Sky was on Astra but the IBA insisted on the DMac technology. You didn't need planning permission for a Sky dish then - the normal size needed was 60cm which didn't need permission.

Yes you are correct BSB did take too long to get going and if they had not then it may have been a different story, though I doubt it. I still think it would have ended in a merger but Murdock would have always forced his authority on the matter.

There were two dish sizes of Sky dish then, 60 & 80cm, the 80cm dish that some people used required planning permission. Some stuck up councils in those days wouldnt even allow more then one dish on the same building regardless of the type or size of the dish, which meant if you lived in a block of flats you were stuffed but thankfully that all soon changed.

I have read a few articles on the matter over the years, both on the Internernet and in publication. They all pretty much say the same regardless of who wrote them. I also saw a documentary on it quite a few years back, (a Money Prgram special I think it was.) which also said pretty much the same as the articles. I am not and wasn't at the time, pro or anti Sky or BSB. I just speak as I see things and Sky clearly dosen't take kindly to competition. After all it was well speculated at the time, but to my knowledge never prooven that Sky were behind the tutorial posted on the Internet on how to crack the ITV Digital encryption.

Having just read that article you linked to, I note Amstrad was in with BSB at the start but then pulled out, wasn't it Amstrad who Sky gave exclusive rights to manufacture its dishes and boxes? Strange.

When I was in Currys on Friday buying my Humaxc Foxsat+ box the salesman said he didn't know how good Freesat is because he had never seen it. He said that Sky have told them (Currys) that if they put a Freesat dish up to show Freesat in store, they will take Sky away from them. If they have told Currys this then I would imagine thay have said the same to Comet etc.

On saturday I was in Comet (or may have been curry's, their almost next door in Bedford) and they had a Panny freesat showing BBC HD preview